


Reprise

by Stone_Princess



Series: Fencing Lessons [5]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-05-05
Updated: 2003-05-05
Packaged: 2017-10-26 08:27:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/280878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stone_Princess/pseuds/Stone_Princess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reprise: renewal of an attack that missed or was parried, after a return to en-garde.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reprise

**Author's Note:**

> I needed a lot of hand holding with this. Special thanks to my Pixie/Pony Rhiannonhero, the enchanting Emelerin, the amazing and fantastic Joyfulgirl, my other half Autumnyte and gigantic thanks to TimIan for giving me back my muse after I left it somewhere.

* * *

Lex had to face the truth. Clark was gone. He'd known when Clark walked right past him at the Midwest Conference Championship. The long drive back from Notre Dame gave Lex too much time to think. He had to admit that it had been over long before. It had been over when he went to Clark and Chloe's apartment and had witnessed Clark strip his emotions and body bare. It had been over even as he'd worked tirelessly in Dresden and Clark had refused his phone calls.

The day last spring when Clark had come to him looking so miserable and broken--the day he'd laid it all on the table--Lex had known that everything would change. He just hadn't expected the change to be _this_.

Lex knew they had both deserved something better. After the suffering they'd endured for so many years, they should have woken together that fateful morning and broken their fast in the sunlight. They should have talked idly of things they would do together in the future, made plans and ignored the lengthening sun as they basked in the light of each other. But Lex had ruined it all.

And now it was over.

The twisted suffering was gone. They could no longer torture each other in the name of love. They were nothing anymore, not even friends. Lex knew his choices had insured this fate. Faced with his father's legacy of horror, the human experiments in Dresden, the lives of hundreds of people destroyed, Lex hadn't seen any other choice. His own happiness, weighed against such atrocity, had meant nothing.

Later he'd realized that the whole situation wasn't just about him; it had been about Clark's happiness, too. But, by then, it was too late. Lex had made his choice to exclude Clark from the nightmare in Dresden and the damage had been done.

He'd kept the vile secrets of Dresden from Clark, afraid that Clark would judge him for his father's actions, afraid that Clark would be tainted, changed by all the gore. In the end it hadn't mattered, Lex had lost Clark just the same.

I must reap what I've sown, Lex thought as he left the Porsche idling in front of Crump Retail Liquor, only slightly embarrassed by the brand of good old Smallville farmer's rhetoric, a lifelong gift from his time there.

Lex felt ghostly and unreal in the liquor store. Staring at the seemingly endless bottles of scotch he tried to shake off the haze of regrets and just buy something. He reached out and bought the first thing his hand touched, a bottle of Oban. Not his first choice and certainly something he had in the penthouse already. But Lex had a plan and he liked to follow his plans through from beginning to end. Sitting at home alone, moping into a bottle a scotch wasn't nearly as pathetic if one prepared for it, shopped for the right bottle and made an active choice to drink until too drunk to feel anything but numb.

As he drove into the parking garage, he tried not think of Clark. The whole seven hour drive back from Notre Dame had belonged to regrets. All he wanted now was a comfortable chair, his bottle and a tumbler. He could agonize over all his wrong decisions for years to come. Tonight he needed a reprieve.

The elevator felt like a coffin to Lex, the penthouse no better. Well into his third glass Lex was restless. The CDs seemed to blend together and Lex picked one blindly.

He put Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1 on the stereo, loud enough to be heard everywhere in the penthouse. Lex moved from room to room, glass in hand, opening all the blinds and curtains to prove to himself that he was still light enough for his home in the sky. The past years lay so heavily on him he felt he would be earthbound forever. Finally in the withering light of the wide sky, Lex settled in the study

As the light of the day faded as the _Lento_ began its bitter waltz, Lex was transported, but music and mind are superlative tricksters. Nearing the finale the piece suddenly changed, turning oddly dark and slow, matching the sky outside and Lex's psyche. The low roll of the tympani and the humming deep vibration of the gong had always filled Lex's mind with images of the barren tundra surrounding Shostakovich's homeland. Tonight those same sounds evoked only the image of Clark, naked, eyes full of pain, bringing himself off.

Lex's hand was unsteady as he filled his glass again. The bottle was half empty and he wondered if would be enough to deaden the pain inside.

When the music ended Lex sat motionless, in the dark and silent room. After all, what else was there? He had nothing now. He simply hadn't been strong enough to let Clark win. He'd known what the fight was, but never saw the cost of winning. If Lex had let Clark win years ago, he would now be mourning a relationship that had grown in the sun, not grieving one that had died alone in darkness.

It's finished, Lex thought as the room blurred around him. He felt his glass tipping and dripping onto the carpet, but he didn't care. His body seemed to lighten as he finally fell into oblivion.

*****

Clark tried to relax, open himself up to it; he wanted all he could get. Clark wanted it hard, not tender like the last time they had been together. He wanted sex that fucked the rest of the world away until nothing mattered but the two of them.

"Fuck me harder," Clark whispered, pulling his knees up to his chest, opening himself more.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't. Please. Harder." Tilting his hips up to feel it deep inside, Clark fisted his cock in time with the pounding strokes in his ass. "Lex. Please. Oh god, Lex," he cried through the blur of orgasm, as come spilled over his hand and stomach. And then everything was silent. Still.

"What the hell, Clark?" Conner said, pushing off Clark to stand in the dim room.

"Conner?" Clark felt dazed as he sat up, and somehow unfulfilled. Sex was supposed to fill the dark void inside of him and yet he always felt so hollow afterwards. "I'm sorry," Clark mumbled, realizing Lex had slipped into his head again. Clark reached for Conner in the dark, trying to pull him back. He just needed to put Conner between himself and the black abyss of his dreams, needed to keep Conner in his bed to ward off the past. But Clark's clutch fell on empty air as Conner moved away. The light flipped on and Clark blinked against it.

"I should have known," Conner muttered tossing aside Clark's jeans and finding his own underneath. "Guys like you never really want guys like me." Conner stared accusingly at Clark as he pulled on his jeans, finally looking away to find his shirt.

Clark didn't know what to say. He hated himself for hurting Conner, hated himself for still wanting Lex. He watched Conner as he dressed. His body so much like Lex's, save the fine dusting of gold-red hair on his arms and the rusty locks falling over his eyes.

Connor was wrong. Clark wanted a guy like him, just not him.

It was a want so strong it burned through him. No matter how angry he got, no matter how many guys he fucked, he couldn't stop feeling the raw emptiness he'd carried with him since the morning Lex had abandoned him.

Conner pulled on his shoes, stuffing his boxers and socks into his jacket pocket. He kept his back to Clark as he left. Pausing at the door Conner looked back, his eyes wet.

"I hope you find who you're looking for, Clark. I thought we really had something. Too bad you're such an asshole." He slammed the door behind him. A second later Clark heard the front door slam too.

Clark stared at the ceiling wondering how it had come to this. He hadn't been good enough for the one person he truly wanted. Clark wasn't even sure if that person still existed or if he had become someone else altogether. And yet Clark ached for Lex, smoldered inside, desperate for even small piece of what they had once shared. Almost willing to take the pain of their twisted love over the blank of this--nothing. But Lex had walked away and when he'd finally come back Clark had done the right thing. He'd sent him away. There hadn't been any other choice to make, but why did it still hurt so much?

*****

"Good-bye to you, too, Conner," Chloe said, rolling her eyes at the empty room.

That was the fifth one in as many months. Clark's boyfriends never seemed to stay around very long.

Clark hadn't ever really come out to her. Maybe he'd assumed she'd figure it out when he started bring boys home last spring. In a weird way, it had made everything easier for Chloe, like a huge weight she'd carried since high school had been lifted from her shoulders. Not that she hadn't already forgiven him for being such an ass, but knowing his real secret had been such a relief. Besides, it hadn't been about her.

Chloe had heard Clark call Lex's name before Conner stormed out. No, it wasn't just not about her. It was about Lex. It probably always had been.

Chloe felt stupid; she should have known. What sort of reporter didn't see what was right before her? She wondered if she had even really been Clark's first. Maybe everything, always, had been Lex's.

It made sense. She could understand more easily why Clark had been such a super slut. He was trying to replace what he had somehow lost.

"Oh. Chloe, I didn't know you were home."

Chloe looked up from the book she hadn't been reading to see Clark, clad in sweats and looking a little worse for the wear. Suddenly she felt sorrier for him than she ever had before.

"Hey, Clark. Did, uh, you and Conner have a fight?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't realize that she'd heard everything.

"He just had to study and I have an early fencing practice." Clark didn't meet her eyes as he spoke. He had always been the worst liar.

"You've been practicing a lot lately." Chloe felt ridiculous, forced, like she might burst with the new knowledge of Clark's feelings for Lex. She wanted to know all the details. Instead she was sitting here going along with his lies just like she always had.

Clark slumped in the chair across from her. He looked 15 again. Lost. A look she had always associated with his longing for Lana. But he'd had Lana, so it _had_ been Lex all along.

Chloe realized that she'd always seen it, just never knew it for what it was. The way Clark had always looked at Lex, talked about him, it was a level of devotion so huge it was almost invisible to the naked eye.

"They might cut some of our funding. I guess Coach is hoping that if we win the Midwest Conference Championship again this year that Met U will rethink the new sports budget." Clark shrugged and picked at a loose thread on his sweats.

"You can't get the money donated?" Chloe calculated a moment before throwing out the next sentence, watching closely for Clark's reaction. "Maybe you could ask Lex. He likes fencing, doesn't he?" Clark's head snapped up.

"Lex isn't our wallet, Chloe. Besides I don't see him that much anymore. He's busy now." His head sank lower as he spoke and he mumbled the last few words to the front of his shirt.

"Yeah," Chloe pushed, knowing she wouldn't get answers, watching as Clark's protectiveness of Lex reared its head, even after whatever had gone on between them. And what _had_ gone on between Clark and Lex? "How come we never see Lex around here anymore?" Chloe tried to sound casual as she asked.

"I guess LexCorp keeps him busy," Clark muttered to his shirt. After another second he stood up. "It's no big deal," Clark said as he crossed to his room. "We'll probably have an auction or something to raise funds for the new gym." Clark closed the door to his room without even looking back to see if Chloe had an answer.

She didn't. But she was beginning to wonder about the real reason why Lex wasn't around and just how he felt about Clark. Was Lex the reason Clark had so many boys around these days? Placebo boys? Conner kind of looked like Lex when she thought about it.

Chloe just knew something major had happened between them. Only something huge could have broken up the team that Lex and Clark had been. She intended to get answers one way or another. Maybe she should call Lex. Even if he wouldn't tell her anything, he might still prove useful.

****

Clark walked the few blocks to the University slowly, knowing he'd be late. He examined tree branches. All the leaves tipped in gold and red, some starting to wilt. The air was cool, the sun fought to bring a little warmth but seemed defeated. Clark moped all the way across the manicured campus, looking for anything to distract himself.

It had been spring when Clark had last seen Lex. He should put it all behind him. Clear it from his mind.

Chloe's mention of Lex the prior night had hurt him. He knew she didn't mean to cause him pain, she hadn't done it on purpose and there was no way for her to know that Lex's was the last name Clark needed to hear right now. Sometimes he felt like he should spill those secrets to her just to have someone to share them with, just so she would know how badly he was hurting. But at the same time the secrets were cherished wounds and he couldn't show them to anyone, not even a close friend like Chloe.

When he arrived at the gym, Clark barely spoke to anyone as he changed. He kept his distance and his silence as they paired up to spar. His partner today was Matt, much to Clark's relief. Matt didn't believe in chit-chat; he just wanted to work.

Clark pushed himself hard, trying to drown his thoughts and feelings in fencing. An impossible task when those thoughts were about Lex. There would have been no fencing without him. Truly, Clark had only joined the team because it gave him a connection to what the two of them had shared.

Fencing was difficult for Clark. He had grace, speed and power, all the things he needed, but controlling himself to work against human opponents was strenuous. Clark could never let his guard down, mentally or otherwise without the potential for serious harm to his opponent. Even so, he worked to be the best player on the team, trying hard not to use his unfair advantage.

Clark couldn't seem to concentrate. Every move Matt made, Clark found himself thinking about how much more gracefully Lex would have made the same move. Matt deceived Clark's first parry in a neat trompement and Clark tried hard to focus on the game in front of him, not the ones from the past, the ones that all too easily haunted his mind.

He parried and danced with Matt, trying to regaining his equilibrium a little. He pushed back hard against Matt's froissement, his insistence forcing an attack through the parry. But Matt's response wasn't Lex's and Clark fumbled and fell, his foil going straight for Matt's head. Matt ducked his fleche and swore, tossing his foil down.

"Are you trying to kill me, Kent? What the hell?" He stormed away before Clark completely realized what he'd done.

After a stern lecture from the coach, Clark was relieved from practice for the rest of the day, assured that they all knew he was nervous about the upcoming qualifications and that they just wanted him to take some time to relax.

Chloe was gone when he got home, notes from her latest article for the school paper tossed around the living room in her typical style. Tense and uncomfortable, Clark wandered into the bathroom. He stripped quickly and threw on the water paying no attention to the temperature.

Stroking his hands over himself in the shower, Clark's body gave him back the memory of the last time he'd lost his careful control. Clark's cock betrayed him, hardening at the memory of Lex's eyes watching him, naked, touching himself. He knew he should be embarrassed, humiliated even, but memory hadn't yet lessened his rage at what had happened. Angry still at how he'd let Lex's name spill from his mouth as the orgasm had hit him. Even as he tried to show that he could take away everything he'd given Lex, Clark's heart had been unfaithful to his fury.

Closing his eyes, Clark tried to think of other lovers he'd had. How they had touched him, filled him. Hands soapy, he jacked fast on his cock, letting the sensation take over.

But as he touched himself it was the ghost of Lex's caress, the memory of his eyes staring at him, emotionless and hard that greeted his orgasm. His stomach turning at the memories assaulting him and he bit back the name this time.

Clark pushed his face into the rushing water trying to erase the images. Memories of Lex--a man who didn't exist. Lex had surely become what they both most despised: Lionel Luthor, his father.

For all the pain the memories brought, Clark still felt like he couldn't live without him. Lex had always balanced him, filled in some part of him that ached horribly without his presence. Since Lex had been gone Clark had felt like a shadow. Even in the suffering of the dark years they'd spent together Clark had still had his friend—he'd still had that necessary equalizing force.

But whatever Clark had given Lex, it wasn't enough. Lex had chosen work before he chose Clark, just the way Lionel would have. Clark had to walk away. He couldn't stay and watch Lex become that desolate.

*****

Lex had put Chloe off for months. She had called sometime last fall, suggesting coffee or dinner. Even the idea of Chloe was too close to Clark and Lex had held her at bay until she pressed too hard. Now he found himself seated across from her wondering why she felt he needed to know _these_ things.

"...and Conner really looked kind of like you. Expect, you know, hairier," Chloe shrugged, seemingly unaware of the tiny slight she'd just made. It was dwarfed by the larger slight of her chosen topic of conversation.

"Conner?" Lex said dumbstruck that Chloe would think talking about Clark's sex life was somehow appropriate.

"Yeah, Conner was the last one. It was weird. It was like new guys back to back for months until Conner and then BANG..." Lex actually jumped a little when Chloe slapped the table, "...no one at all after that. I always wondered why. Did he talk to you about it?" Chloe stirred her drink, her smile nothing but a blind on the face that wanted an answer.

"You know, Clark and I don't really talk much anymore."

"I notice you never come to visit. You should, Clark could use a friend now for sure. Especially now he's all worried about school."

"Clark's having trouble in school?" Lex was surprised. Clark had always been an exceptional student no matter what life had thrown at him.

"No, he's fine. They just cut the funding for the fencing team and he's all worried about this fundraiser they're having." Chloe sipped her drink, eyebrows raised the picture of false innocence. Lex took a deep breath. This was what it was always about, wasn't it?

Lex sat up and set his face for negotiation. "You came here to ask me for money?" The straightforward approach always worked in matters of money.

Chloe laughed, "No, hmm, well, you could come to the fundraiser."

Lex wondered if Chloe knew how powerful her smile was, if she learned to use it for effect yet, or was accidentally disarmingly charming.

Driving home, Lex once more felt weighted with loss. In the nearly eight months since he'd last seen Clark he managed to bury himself in work almost every waking minute. But Clark still crept into his dreams, both waking and sleeping, despite Lex's best efforts not to dwell on the past. He wouldn't go to the fundraiser. He couldn't face seeing Clark again.

In the end he'd agreed to back any bid Chloe wanted to make in the auction so long as she agreed not to reveal where the money came from. Lex trusted her ability to lie. What could it really hurt, helping Clark reach his dreams, even from a distance? It was all he could do now.

At home, Lex couldn't relax. Words swam across the papers on his desk, merging into senseless recreations of Clark. Haunted, Lex had to see. He opened his computer. A quick search brought up the page for the Met U Fencing Team Fundraising Auction. Two clicks and Lex was faced with a picture of Clark, standing perfect in form, fencing mask in hand as he smiled blindingly at the photographer.

Lex didn't know how long he stared at the image. He wandered aimlessly through his home, glass of scotch in hand, somehow finding Clark everywhere he looked. Even after months of fighting it, the anguish was still there when Lex let down his guard.

He finally tried to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes all he saw was Clark, white smile above clean fencing whites. Lex tried to blink and shake the vision away, but all that went was the fencing gear.

He saw Clark before him, naked, smiling, as Clark lay back on the chair in that shabby room stroking himself. The blinding smile above smooth pecs, tight abs. Clark moved one hand over his cock as he beckoned to Lex with the other.

Their bodies tangled, awkward in the old arm chair, desperate to feel as much as they could, skin on skin. Clark was salty, slick, and warm. He cried out, begged, demanded more as Lex fucked him hard, pushing them off the chair, taking Clark on the floor.

Come spilled over Lex's hand as Clark cried out in his head.

The bed was wide and cold. Empty save for Lex curling into himself, becoming as small as he could.

He never should have gone to meet Chloe.

*****

"Really, Clark, you think I'd lie to you?" Guilt burned Chloe as she tried to look as indignant as possible. She was trying to _help_ Clark. It was in his best interest, he just didn't know it yet.

"It just seems weird, Chloe."

"I know, but like I told you, Clark, he contacted me at the paper. He wanted to remain anonymous."

Clark squinted at her. "Do you know anything about him at all?"

"All I know is that he used to be on the school's fencing team years ago and where you're supposed to meet him for a fencing match." That was mostly true, everything but the part about Lex being a Met U alum. Clark still looked suspicious.

"I don't know. It just seems weird." Clark was very fidgety. He'd been upset to discover that he was to be auctioned as a fencing partner for the team's fundraiser. The fact that Chloe had won the bidding hadn't improved his mood at all.

"Well, you could just not meet him. I mean, I'm sure he just wanted the school have the money. I don't know his name though, so we can't contact him to tell you won't meet." The more she lied, the less the guilt burned. This was too easy.

In the end Clark had been predictable. His overdeveloped sense of fairness had forced him to agree to meet with the anonymous donor. And Chloe knew this was the right thing to do. Lex's eyes had been full of the same echoing sorrow she saw every day in Clark’s.

*****

The cherry trees blooming were quite spectacular. Lex walked up the path to the square around Peterson fountain. Campus was surprisingly empty even for a Sunday, although it was still quite early.

Lex looked around for Chloe. Cursing, he checked his watch and then his Palm to make sure he had the time right. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned, expecting to see Chloe, only to see a visibly angry Clark, presumably on his way to fencing practice, as he had an Uhlmann roll bag slung over his shoulder.

Clark paused looking around. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Lex.

"What the fuck?" Clark set down his bag as he squared off with Lex. "You put Chloe up to this? I thought I made myself clear the last time we saw each other." Lex heard the break in Clark's voice, saw a shadow cross his eyes.

"Clark, look, I'm sorry, but I didn't put Chloe up to anything." Clark was so fucking beautiful in the morning sun. Longing ripped through Lex's body, so much more painful than when Clark was just an idea, a vision.

"You gave her the money for the auction." It was an accusation not a question.

"It was supposed to be an anonymous donation." Lex tried to keep his voice even as his mind rolled from anger, to hope, to fear, to anger again.

"Right. And how were we supposed to have our match anonymously?"

"Match?"

"Chloe won a fencing match with me. She told me it was a Met U alum who wished to remain anonymous." Clark stared at Lex for a second and then shook his head. "I can't believe even _you_ would be this manipulative." Clark's face was so full of ferocity that it calmed Lex. Clark only wanted an outlet and both of them being here today was one thing that wasn't Lex's fault. Chloe had done this on purpose.

"Honestly, Clark, I didn't know." Lex sighed, wishing he felt the exasperation he was trying to show. "Chloe didn't tell me what she was bidding on. I was supposed to remain completely anonymous."

"So why are you here then?" Clark rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"Chloe was supposed to buy me breakfast to thank me. She told me to meet her here."

"I can't believe you're still lying to me, even after you left me like that." Still so stubborn, Lex wondered how they'd ever managed to have a friendly debate.

"I'm not lying to you and I didn't leave you, Clark." Lex paused, unsure what to say. Telling Clark the truth wouldn't change anything now. "I left because I was trying to be a better man than my father. I thought I had made the right decision, the right choice at the time." As Lex spoke he saw a flurry of emotions run across the window of Clark's face. Anger faded to confusion.

"Trying to better than your father? How is choosing work over your _life_ better than your father, Lex?" Clark asked, filling again with that same nasty temper that Lex had seen when Clark had put on that horrible show.

"The choice I made wasn't about me. I won't pretend it was about you, but in a way I was trying to change something for you, to protect you." Clark's face was that of man who didn't want to hear anything but what he already believed. A very Kent expression, searing in its familiarity. "Look, Clark, I don't know how to explain it to you. It's done. I can't change how it happened."

"Fuck." Clark said, his skin reflecting the sun as he turned away. "I'm sorry. I can't do this." Clark hoisted the bag and walked back to toward the trees. At the edge of the square he paused and looked back, shaking his head and then he was gone.

Lex stared after Clark for a long time trying to think. He knew he was supposed to be hurt, but he couldn't make himself feel anything. Just the presence of Clark had shocked all emotion out of him.

Lex should leave, go home, and forget this ever happened. Instead he sank onto a bench, the cherry blossoms blurring as he stared down the path that carried Clark away.

Lex missed his friend. The person who had kept him from becoming his father. The person who now thought Lex was just like his father. No wonder Clark didn't want to have anything to do with him.

*****

Chloe was glad it was such a nice day, as if the sun could somehow wash away the horrors she'd just read. She wondered how Clark would react. When it came down to it, she loved Clark and she wanted him to be happy. She'd connected Lex with Clark's past happiness and the absence of Lex with the broody Clark she knew now. Sure she'd interfered, set them up, but it was for both of their own good.

It was funny. She'd expected Clark to either come right back from meeting Lex very angry or not to come back for days. Then he'd show up, Lex in tow and they'd invite her to dinner to thank her. But it hadn't happened like that.

Clark had returned less than 30 minutes after leaving to meet the 'anonymous donor.' Chloe had expected him to be angry, had prepared what to say to calm him down, to justify herself. In the end it hadn't been necessary. Clark been oddly calm, very distant. He hadn't said anything about the meeting, only asked her to find out for him what Lex had been doing in Dresden last year.

Chloe worked hard, maybe this was what Clark needed to know to forgive Lex, or for Lex to forgive Clark. She still didn't understand what had gone on, but this seemed to be the key.

It had been harder than Chloe had expected. The usual business journal stories or newspaper articles that Lex generated had been in short supply during the time he was in Germany. It had taken some digging, but Chloe had finally learned the whole story and put it all together for Clark.

Walking the stairs to their apartment, Chloe clutched at the blue folder, a little afraid of how Clark would react when he read it. She really hadn't wanted to hurt anyone. She'd only wanted both of them to be happy. After what she'd learned today, maybe she shouldn't have interfered. It had taken weeks to get the answers she had in her hand. Things she knew he wouldn't like.

"Chlo'?" Clark called from the kitchen, appearing in the doorway, as Chloe closed the front door behind her.

"Hi, Clark," she said as she dropped her keys on the table, filled with dread. But she'd started this, hadn't she? She offered the folder to Clark. "The, uh, question you asked about Lex the other day? I've got the answers."

Clark just stared at the folder like it might bite him. It seemed like a long time before he finally crossed the room and took it from her.

*****

Martha was a little surprised when Clark walked in. He didn't usually show up without calling.

"Clark!" She rushed to hug him. "Are you staying for dinner?" She asked heading back to the carrots she's been slicing.

"Is dad here?" Clark ignored her question. Martha turned back to look at him. Clark always looked healthy, but Martha could see something in his face, something wrong. He looked broken in way she hoped to never see in her own child. Like he'd used to look on those nights when she'd known that he and Lex had collided.

"What happened?" She set down her knife and pulled out two chairs at table gesturing for Clark to sit down.

"Is dad here?" He asked again.

"No, honey, he went to the feed store about ten minutes ago. He won't be back for a while. Do you need him?" Clark looked so listless Martha was becoming seriously worried.

"No. I need to talk to you." Clark didn't meet her eyes. Martha reached for his hand and stroked it.

"You can always talk to me, Clark."

Clark took a deep breath. She watched as he furrowed his brow, thinking too hard, worried about someone else, a look he'd made since he was a small child. Clark let his breath out in rush.

"I think I was wrong about Lex," he said.

Martha was surprised. Lex's name was barely mentioned, the subject always rapidly changed when it came up ever since Clark went to college.

"Are you, are you seeing him again?" She stumbled over the words, unsure what to ask, afraid of what she'd hear.

"No, mom. Listen, I really need to tell you this." He looked her right in the eye as he spoke, her little boy, so serious, so grown up. Martha nodded, afraid to speak again, afraid of the questions she might ask.

Clark turned away, speaking to the wall. "Lex and I, we were, well, we got pretty involved before I went to college."

"Clark, I know..." Martha tried to interrupt but was cut off by Clark.

"No, please listen, Mom. Lex and I were together. I mean not really. We tried to hide it from everyone, from ourselves even, and it hurt me so much." Martha could barely stand to hear this. Clark picked at his cuff as he spoke, anything to keep from meeting her eyes. "I didn't want to lie to you and dad about it, but I was never sure what we had, what to say, so I never said anything."

Clark looked up for a second, guilty over what was probably the only secret he'd kept from his parents. Martha's heart broke. She'd never wanted her son to have the burden of so many secrets.

"Right before I went to Metropolis," Clark continued, "I went to Lex and told him how I felt. That I didn't want to hide anymore, that I didn't want anyone but him. But it didn't change anything." He paused, clearly fighting tears. Martha swallowed her own tears wishing she could gather him into her lap like she had when he was little boy.

"No." Clark swallowed. "It changed everything. Lex left for Europe that morning after I told him. I was ready to tell him _everything_..." Clark glanced up, so guilty at admitting that he would have shared his secret "...but he left before I said anything. I haven't really spoken to him since then." Tears broke free and rolled down Clark's cheeks. "God," he said, "I was so wrong about him. How could I have been so wrong?"

Martha stood up and hugged her son, her chest felt constricted, full of her son's pain that she couldn't assuage. Clark leaned into her and she rocked him a bit.

"I'm so sorry, baby. So sorry. I was always so worried about you boys. He seemed so fragile, but I always worried he'd hurt you." Clark pulled back sharply and looked up at her, wiping his eyes.

"You don't understand! It was me!" He stood up and went for his back pack he'd left by the door. "I thought he left _me_. I thought he'd chosen the father I knew he hated over me. I was wrong." Clark stood up and handed Martha a blue folder. "Please, just read this, so I can talk to you, ok?" She would never know how intentional Clark's puppy dog eyes were, but she did know they'd always work on her.

It took Martha almost 20 minutes to skim through the contents of the folder. The pictures were horrible. They reminded her of pictures she'd seen of the Jewish concentration camps in WWII, but almost worse, all the victims children. It seemed Lionel had bought or stolen children from families all over East Germany and done horrible experiments on them with the meteorites found all over Smallville. The rocks that had come with Clark.

Most had died. Cancer, other wasting diseases. Many had had accidents. There were documents claiming the rocks gave special powers to some of the victims before they'd died or been killed. It was human cruelty at its worst. All of it had been over seen personally by Lionel Luthor.

When Lionel had gotten sick Lex had stepped in and dissolved LuthorCorp. He'd taken over and tried to make reparations to victims and their families. None of the money Lex had made from the dissolution of LuthorCorp had gone into his own company. All the money had gone to victims or been set aside for them. Lex had worked for months, meeting each family personally talking to them about what they needed, generously trying to help in anyway he could.

Martha realized Clark had been pacing behind her, waiting.

She looked up at him. His eyes were so full of hurt. Martha didn't even know what to say.

Finally Clark broke the silence. "I was wrong, mom. I made it all about me while Lex was selflessly doing everything he could for other people. I don't know if I can even apologize to him. I've lost him because I was so stubborn."

Standing, she hugged her son as tightly as she could. She thought of all the times Lex had called from Dresden and she hadn't even given Clark the messages. What had she been trying to protect him from? Someone who loved him? The look on Lex's face when Martha had warned him away so long ago flashed in her mind. Both boys were broken now and she didn't even know how to fix them. She took a deep breath and stood back, nervously stoking her hands on her jeans.

"I think you know the right thing to do, Clark. Do what ever your heart tells you. That will be the right thing."

Clark sat and cried in her arms before he left, letting everything go, years of hurt. She knew when she waved him away that he was going straight to Lex. She hoped Lex was good enough to forgive Clark, to let both of them be happy.

*****

Lex wished he was drunk. He wasn't sure if he could go through with this. Staying sober had been intentional. Everything was over with Clark. Lex had waited and nothing had changed. He knew now it was his job to make the change, move forward.

Every night this week Lex had scoured the bars of Metropolis, hoping to find someone. No one had seemed good enough. Until Steven had come by all dark hair, golden skin and pale eyes. He'd tried to buy Lex a drink making him seem naive, maybe even innocent.

Riding the elevator to the penthouse, Steven kissed him, aligning his body so Lex could feel his hard cock through faded jeans. Lex's own cock stiffened in response, even as his stomach turned at the wrongness of the kiss. Lips too thin, breath full of gin. Lex looked into eyes too pallid and found himself at a loss. Steven had made it clear that he was mainly interested in sex.

Unlocking, the apartment door, Steven close behind him, Lex steeled himself. He would do this, find relief in this pretty boy. Pushing Steven against the vestibule wall, Lex kissed him, looking for oblivion in the wet, red mouth. He pulled back, hands on hips that felt flawed, gym toned, but too thin, Lex felt his gorge rise as Steven ran too gentle a hand over Lex's erection. Lex moved away gesturing to the living room, indicating that this makeshift partner could make himself at home.

"Can I get you a drink?" Lex asked as Steven circled the main room.

"Sure, that'd be great." Steven's smile was white and brilliant, full of teeth too even, framed by hair too short. Lex shuddered. He was looking for Clark, even now, with the person who was supposed to make him forget.

Lex walked over to the bar, looking out at the city as he put ice in two glasses. This late the city lights were still bright, the shadows on the balcony made Lex drop the glass he was holding. He didn't even answer whatever Steven asked as he moved to the French doors, pulling them open too hard.

"Clark?" Lex stood in the doorway, unsure if this was some new psychosis setting in, a figment of Clark everywhere he looked. But this night-time balcony Clark had a genuine solidity that the creature who'd kissed him in the elevator could never replicate.

"Lex, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you'd have company..." Clark trailed off, looking miserable.

"Company?" Lex asked dumbly. He felt light, elated, high, dream-like and unable to remember why both of them wouldn't be here.

Clark nodded back into the apartment and Lex turned to see a dim shadow, trying to imitate Clark, standing by the bar, looking confused. Lex couldn't recall the shadow's name.

The three of them stared, each set of eyes moving over the other, bodies frozen like deer in headlights.

Lex turned to Steven and broke the silence, "You should go."

Steven left quickly and without question, leaving Lex alone with Clark. Clark had come here. To Lex. Foolishly, Lex seemed unable to do anything but immerse himself in that idea. He shook himself.

"Clark. I... do you want to come in?" Lex stood aside, suddenly aware of how chilly the pre-dawn air was.

Clark followed him into the living room. "I'm sorry Lex, I thought I'd wait until you were awake, but when I realized you weren't home I just decided to wait. I didn't expect to interrupt anything." Clark looked drawn, shattered.

"You didn't interrupt anything, if anything you saved me from making a terrible mistake."

They both sat and stared. Clark wiggled and turned, unable to keep his hands still, his eyes on anything. Lex knew he too should feel uncomfortable, at some point he wondered if he wasn't in shock.

They sat, Lex paralyzed, Clark anxious, neither saying anything as dawn broke over the city.

*****

Clark felt entirely foolish and unsure what to say. After the way he'd treated Lex, the things he'd said, did he really expect a warm welcome? Lex was obviously moving on.

I just want my friend back, Clark told himself. He ran the words over and over in his head, trying to make them true. Used them to find the courage to speak.

"I should go." Not really the words he'd intended, but he was strangely happy with himself for getting anything out. The words seemed to rouse Lex from his reverie.

"Go?" Lex's voice broke and he looked confused. "What did you come here for, Clark?" As he spoke he turned his body to Clark, those blue eyes seeming to examine everything about Clark in the weak light.

Clark shivered. What could he possibly say to Lex after everything?

"I thought you might want that fencing match after all." The words were pathetic. Clark barely believed he could say something so lame at a time like this.

Lex made no response. Again the silence between then grew. Clark found himself adjusting a shoelace, picking a loose thread of his shirt, buttoning and unbuttoning his second shirt button. He didn't say anything for fear of the stupidity that would run from his mouth.

The sky grew brighter and Clark was startled to hear birds this high up, especially this deep in the city. Lex was still watching him, unmoving. Much to Clark's relief he finally stirred and stood.

"I'd like that very much." The words felt so far away for a second Clark couldn't even remember what he'd offered Lex.

Clark followed Lex down the hall, surprised to find the room unchanged since the first time he'd visited. The frosted glass wall glowed with the early sun. Everything seemed to have an ethereal glow.

Lex excused himself and a few minutes later Enrique appeared bearing fencing greys that looked suspiciously like the set Clark had kept here so long ago. Clark changed in the huge bathroom, feeling unexpectedly at home, as if this was the way things should always be. He returned to find Lex looking intense above his black t-shirt, holding two foils and his fencing jacket.

Clark crossed the room and held his hand out for one of the foils, but Lex stepped back.

"Are you sure?" His face was so serious. Clark knew the question wasn't just about fencing. Was Clark sure he wanted to fill the devastating void he'd carried for so long? Was he sure he wanted his friend back?

"Yes." There wasn't anything else to say, so Clark took his foil and they faced off. Clark called 'en guard' and they began.

It was more a tightly controlled dance than just another fencing match. Clark had never had another partner that moved as gracefully as Lex, sword and body moving together, a single fluid entity. Now, in this dance, Clark's usual restraint felt comfortable, easy.

Clark met Lex's first thrust with a smooth flying parry, forcing Lex back with the backwards glide of his foil. It was a tense ballet as Clark's glissade slid his blade along Lex's bringing them in close enough for Clark to feel the heat of Lex, the rhythm of his breathing.

This was much more than fencing. Clark made a riposte by cut-over and Lex moved back and for second Clark wanted to stop, didn't want to ever do anything again that would make Lex move away from him. The desperation he felt to keep Lex near him made Clark fall as Lex dropped one hand to floor in a smooth _passata-sotto_ lunge.

It wasn't the first time they'd found themselves entangled on the floor during a match. Clark couldn't finish this. The need to touch Lex was erasing all rational thought. The poise and power Lex had, Clark knew he couldn't leave now that he found himself this close. He remained unmoving as Lex stood.

"Lex," Clark stood as he spoke, "there's something I have to tell you." Everything, now, before Lex could walk away again.

Lex paused only a briefly and then smiled. "No, let's finish the match."

Clark drew a deep breath, holding in the words with the air, as he moved back to _en guard_. And they waltzed. Simple attack. Parry. Thrust. Parry. Counter-parry. The cadence between them was so neat, effortless and easy.

Clark watched Lex move like water through an elegant _prise de fer_. The room was bright and warm around them and Clark never felt so right about anything in his life.

This couldn't end.

*****

It was hard for Lex to remember when they had gone from desperately clashing foils to frantically kissing. Pulling at Lex's shirt as they rolled over the floor, Clark leaned up to tug Lex's jacket and t-shirt off.

Clark's eyes were the color of river water in sunlight. Lex struggled out of his shirt, the need to see Clark dire. As Lex opened his eyes, tossing the shirt, Clark's fingers ran over Lex's collarbone, his throat, his jaw. The warm silk of Clark's kisses drowned Lex. He was pulled down into the undertow of the last year. This time Clark would win.

Clark's touches were possessive, too hard, too much as they fought their way out of the fencing clothes. The taste was salty and purely Clark as Lex explored, reclaiming, relearning. His fingers finding the neat groove of Clark's hipbone as Lex rubbed his face into the thatch of dark hair, the musky scent making him light headed.

Lex moved up a little, opened his mouth, pre-come slid over his tongue and he was full, his throat stretching to accommodate Clark's cock. They moved in an easy, remembered tempo. Lex pushed faster, feeling Clark's breathing change. He let hands roam as Clark's palms settled onto the back of Lex's head pushing faster, demanding more. Lex gave everything he had, reveling in it.

Clark came hard, crying out senselessly and Lex moved to taste those cries, to share the tang of Clark's come between them.

The kisses were too brutal and Lex knew he'd have bruises as Clark bit hard into Lex's shoulder before pushing him over. The gym floor was cool beneath Lex, pulling the fierce heat from his chest and dispelling it a little. Lex felt weightless as Clark manhandled Lex up on to his knees, his hands on Lex's hips. It was still, just for a second and Lex started to turn his head when Clark thrust his tongue hard into Lex's hole. It happened so fast, the pleasure racing through him so suddenly that Lex cried out as he fell forward onto his arms, ass in the air.

Lex bucked and begged as Clark's tongue worked over his ass. It was so forceful that the room shimmered and twisted before Lex. He closed his eyes and tried to pull away, but Clark held him fast. Lex's cock was flat against his stomach, untouched but throbbing, each beat of his pulse spinning threads of desire through Lex's stomach and up his spine. Clark slipped a wet finger in, licking around it as he worked slowly in and out. When Clark's teeth scraped over Lex's perineum, Lex roared his ecstasy and quivered as Clark pushed a second finger in relentlessly.

Pleading senselessly, Lex asked Clark for more and to stop and never and now. Clark's fingers hit him just right as they pushed in. Lex shuddered at the heat of Clark's mouth as it moved up Lex's spine. White light burned from Clark's kisses straight to Lex's cock.

"I want to be inside you," Clark whispered into Lex's ear as he wrapped his free hand around Lex's cock. "I want to fuck you so hard that you never forget it."

*****

Clark knew he wasn't being gentle enough. The precious control of the fencing match was gone and Clark had to have all of Lex's passion. His hands were shaking as he withdrew his spit-wet fingers from Lex's ass and lined himself up, he had nothing but saliva to lubricate, but he couldn't wait.

"Please. Oh god. Fuck me. Fuck me." Lex begged below him as the hot sheath of his ass gripped the head of Clark's cock. Lex reared back, forcing Clark deep as Lex came, his come splashing over Clark's hand. Clark trembled and pushed deeper, overwhelmed by the heat of Lex's body.

Pulling out as much as he could stand too, Clark slicked Lex's come over his cock before thrusting back in. Lex whimpered, and shook on unsteady arms as he moved to meet each of Clark's thrusts. Blue heat gathered like storm clouds at the base of his spine and Clark knew he wouldn't last.

"Mine," Clark cried as he pushed in.

"Always yours," Lex answered and Clark was coming, lightning flashed in his head, pleasure rolled like heavy thunder through his body. Clark clutched hard at Lex, riding him through the storm.

*****

Lex woke on the floor, too hot in the mid morning light. Clark was curled behind him, their bodies sticky with sweat and come. Lex rolled to face Clark, who pulled him in tight, mumbling in his sleep.

Lex relaxed into the embrace, glad to have a few minutes before they had to talk about this. He studied Clark's face, so angelic in sleep. Lex never tired of the comparison, and now Clark had saved him in every possible way. He pressed tiny kisses along Clark's eyelashes, little licks over soft red lips until Clark roused, his cock already hard against Lex's leg.

The important talk never came. The shower was full of hard kisses, licking, sucking and soaping. The kisses ended in the door way as Clark left for a class he couldn't miss and Lex for work.

The whole day passed in a haze. Everything looked like its color had shifted in a way only Lex could see. His heart swelled every time he thought of Clark. Clark had come back to Lex, had made no demands. The anger of the past year diluted by need. It wasn't just sex, Lex had felt it, something flashing between them, strong current, powerful enough to live on. And somehow, Lex knew that Clark needed that spark as much as he did.

Lex let work overtake him, tried to lose himself in something besides his own thoughts, but the drive home was unbearable. His mind kept replaying the morning, his body shuddering pleasantly at the memory of Clark inside him, taking him.  
At home, Lex found himself pacing, waiting for Clark to return for the dinner he had promised Lex. This was the moment of truth, if Clark showed then everything else could spin from there, if Clark never appeared Lex would knew he would become something cold and hard. Everything would change. Again.

Relief flooded Lex, loosening his body like a drug as he let Clark in.

The comfortable casualness they sat down together with was previously unknown to Lex.

"This is really good," Clark said through food Lex barely tasted. But it was good, all of it was good.

When nothing was left on their plates as they still sat at the table talking. Clark contentedly filling Lex in on every detail of this year's classes, everything that had happened on the farm.

"How's your mother?" Lex asked, realizing he hadn't heard about anyone but Clark. "Is she still mad at me?" The pain of his last sight of Mrs. Kent, darkening the moment.

Clark beamed and reached to caress Lex's cheek.

"Mad? Who do you think convinced me to come here?" Clark laughed.

Lex leaned across the table to catch Clark's mouth as he laughed. The kissed deepened and the longing in the heat of the kiss wiped away the laughter.

"Bedroom?" Lex asked.

"Please," Clark said, laughter coming back even as Lex pulled him down the hallway.

As they sat on the edge of the bed, Lex wondered how long they could stay in this blissful little world before reality started seeping in. He watched as Clark unbuttoned his shirt, looking surprisingly nervous. Lex caught Clark's lips again reached to pull them both down onto the bed.

Clark's kisses were soft tonight, but they radiated possessiveness and hope. Lex felt himself falling into them, the spell woven as their lips touched, reaching inside Lex and obliterating the blackness he'd been carrying for so long.

Lex rolled until he could straddle Clark, taking command of the kisses. Deepening them as their tongues slid together, exploring, claiming. Lex lifted a little so his cock just barely grazed Clark's through the fabric of their pants. Clark groaned at the lost contact, arched his back to press against Lex, but Lex held back, drawing out the ripples of need running though his body.

Every article of clothing that came off was rewarded from both sides by a longer kiss. They were living inside each other now. The room was gone; Lex knew only Clark's heat, his touch, the satin damp of his mouth. With their clothes finally gone, Lex rolled on top again, stretching the length of his body over Clark's. Their cocks pressed together, Lex pulled back to gaze into Clark's river water eyes, now darkened with need.

"Please," Clark whispered, Lex following each movement of the mouth, seeing the word more than hearing it.

"Please what, Clark?"

"Touch me." Clark's eyes fluttered closed and he seemed to unfold, pushing up, offering Lex everything.

Lex let his fingers trail over Clark's thick plum lips, traced the curve of his cheekbones, his jaw line. His tongue darted out to savor the warm saltiness in the hollow of Clark's collarbone. Lex sat, straddling Clark's slim hips, observing the expanse of gold skin beneath him, deciding where to start.

Lowering his mouth to one nipple, Lex took the other between his fingers and pinched hard. He made tiny, delicate strokes over the other to counter balance as Clark moaned, twisting beneath him. Lex's fingers found the sharp blade of Clark's hips, the powerful muscles of his thighs. He caressed everything under him, pausing only to watch Clark as his breathing sped up, to see the lithe form arch up into his hands.

Licking over the neat lines of Clark's abs, Lex moved down, through the dark twists of Clark's hair to his balls. His tongue painted wet stripes over the soft flesh there, making Clark moan. Finally taking Clark into his mouth in one fast swallow, Lex was rewarded by enthusiastic begging from Clark. He sucked deep, reveling in the musky scent of Clark, the sounds of Clark's need above him. Clark's answering thrusts became more ragged and Lex steadied himself, his hands on the bed.

"Lex," Clark cried, "fuck. Oh god. I'm gonna come." His hands pushed down on Lex's head as he rode out the current of his orgasm. Clark stilled, his breath slowing as Lex kissed and stroked over smooth skin, slowly turning Clark over to take what he needed.

"No."

Lex looked up startled to see Clark smiling above him, resisting being turned over.

"No?" Lex answered, confused.

"I have better idea." Clark's smile was piercing. He leaned over the bed, rummaging in Lex's bedside drawer until he found lube. Clutching the tube in one hand, Clark pushed Lex a little trying to move him to his back. Lex stretched out, curious.

"Don't move," Clark whispered, straddling Lex's hips as he filled his hand with lube. He reached behind himself, tipped his head back, eyes closing as he pushed his fingers inside himself. He was so fucking beautiful, throat exposed, chest defined as he strained. Lex was so hard, but when he reached for his cock, Clark batted his hand away.

"I said, don't move."

Lex laughed quietly and watched the show Clark was putting on for him. Watched as Clark bucked against his own fingers in his ass. Watched as Clark stroked his own cock back to hardness. Finally Clark looked down, locking his eyes on Lex's as he filled his hand with lube again and stroked it over Lex's aching cock, moving to angle his hips so he could slide down onto Lex.

So fucking tight. Lex was still for a second trying to let his mind catch up with the sensations exploding through his body. Above him, Clark slowly raised and lowered, impaling himself on Lex's cock. Lex opened his eyes to see Clark, head thrown back again, hand fisting his erection and Lex filling him.

"Oh god, Lex, it's so good." He murmured over and over. "I want you, please. Fuck. Oh god."

Lex's blood boiled white heat down his spine. He tried to push it back, to feel it, make it last. He watched as Clark came over Lex's chest and stomach as Clark begged and swore and it was too much.

He felt his balls draw up and his cock pulsed with need for release.

"Oh Jesus, Clark," Lex whimpered.

"Come for me, baby," Clark stroked Lex's face. "Come _in_ me. I want you, want to feel you."

Lex was lost, under the river again, flying over the cornfields. Pleasure drowned him, Clark's voice drowned him, Clark's hands saved him, Clark's lips found him and they were both still there, tangled together. Inseparable.

*****

The sun felt like warm silk on Clark’s skin as he watched Lex dress from under half closed lids.

"So beautiful," Clark sighed. Lex looked over, smiling.

"You're awake." Clark felt lost under the light of Lex's smile. Had Lex ever looked so happy?

"I've been watching you," Clark said. "Going somewhere?" He indicated to the pants Lex was fastening.

"Yes. To get you breakfast." Lex walked to the bed and softly kissed Clark's forehead. He sat on the edge, stroking his fingers through Clark hair, looking intently at Clark's face. "Take a shower and come find me, ok?" Lex's kiss was the last one Clark ever needed, he could be happy forever with this feeling.

"Yes," Clark answered.

Clark found towels waiting for him, his clothes neatly folded on the bathroom counter. Clark's brand of shampoo was in the shower stall. The sight of it tore something deep inside him.

He had rarely if ever stayed to shower in the dark years when they'd used each other, and yet Lex had here Clark's things: the grey fencing clothes from yesterday, his shampoo, a razor sat by the sink. Things that Lex didn't need, things Lex couldn't have gone to get this morning. Things for Clark that had clearly been here all along, just waiting for Clark to need them.

Yesterday and last night had been amazing, but this was the proof Clark needed. Whoever that guy Lex had brought home was clearly nothing, everything here was for Clark. It physically hurt Clark to think of Lex keeping all these things, just in case, even when Clark wouldn't speak to Lex, even when he told him to leave and never come back.

As he dried and dressed, Clark worked up the courage to tell Lex everything. Lex had waited while Clark slutted around. Lex had waited while Clark ignored him. And all along Clark really hadn't wanted anything but Lex.

Clark moved through the penthouse, finally finding Lex on the balcony at a small table set with strawberries, croissants, jam, rolls, cheese and juice. There was one cup of black coffee for Lex and one cup with milk for Clark. Like the shampoo, the perfectly made coffee turned something inside Clark. How could he have been so blind?

"Hungry?" Lex asked as he set down the paper he'd been reading. Clark watched as Lex made him a plate and poured him juice.

They ate quietly. The morning sun was brilliant. This was everything Clark had ever wanted, not just Lex, not the just the sex, but the comfort of a companion who would do the small things with him.

"So," Lex began, refilling his coffee cup. "Shall we punish or reward Chloe for her interference."

Clark laughed. "Definitely reward, but not too soon, she should suffer a little first."

"I agree." Lex cocked his head, watching Clark, something more than fondness in his eyes. Love.

"Lex, there're so many things I have to tell you." Clark didn't want this end and the truth was the only thing between them now.

"We have all the time in the world, Clark."

~finis~


End file.
